Wednesday, June 17, 2015

The Baptist press just released the following which affirms the SBC taking a stance for traditional biblical marriage between one man and one woman:

As Southern Baptist Christians, we are committed to Biblical faith
and ethics. As a result, this body of Believers stands on the authority
of Scripture and God's Truth as central to our lives.

What
the Bible says about marriage is clear, definitive and unchanging. We
affirm biblical, traditional, natural marriage as the uniting of one man
and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. The Scriptures'
teaching on marriage is not negotiable. We stake our lives upon the Word
of God and the testimony of Jesus.

Consequently, we
will not accept, nor adhere to, any legal redefinition of marriage
issued by any political or judicial body including the United States
Supreme Court. We will not recognize same-sex "marriages", our churches
will not host same-sex ceremonies, and we will not perform such
ceremonies.

While we affirm our love for all
people, including those struggling with same-sex attraction, we cannot
and will not affirm the moral acceptability of homosexual behavior or
any behavior that deviates from God's design for marriage. We also
believe religious freedom is at stake within this critical issue – that
our first duty is to love and obey God, not man.

Therefore,
we strongly encourage all Southern Baptist pastors, leaders, educators,
and churches to openly reject any mandated legal definition of marriage
and to use their influence to affirm God's design for life and
relationships. As the nation's largest non-Catholic denomination with
over 16 million members, we stake our very lives and future on the Truth
of God's Word.

We also join together to support
those who stand for natural marriage in the corporate world, the
marketplace, education, entertainment, media and elsewhere with our
prayers and influence, and resources.

Yesterday they unanimously voted to approve the following resolution.

The Resolution:
RESOLUTION 5: ON THE CALL TO PUBLIC WITNESS ON MARRIAGE
WHEREAS,
God in His divine wisdom created marriage as the covenanted, conjugal
union of one man and one woman (Genesis 2:18–24; Matthew 19:4–6; Hebrews
13:4); and
WHEREAS, The Baptist Faith & Message (2000)
recognizes the biblical definition of marriage as "the uniting of one
man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime," stating
further, "It is God's unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and
His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the
framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression
according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the
human race"; and
WHEREAS, God ordains government to promote and honor the public good and recognize what is praiseworthy (Romans 13:3–4); and
WHEREAS,
The public good requires defining and defending marriage as the
covenanted, conjugal union of one man and one woman; and
WHEREAS, Marriage is by nature a public institution that unites man and woman in the common task of bringing forth children; and
WHEREAS,
The Supreme Court of the United States will rule in 2015 on whether
states shall be required to grant legal recognition as "marriages" to
same-sex partnerships; and
WHEREAS, The redefinition of
marriage to include same-sex couples will continue to weaken the
institution of the natural family unit and erode the religious liberty
and rights of conscience of all who remain faithful to the idea of
marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife; and
WHEREAS,
The Bible calls us to love our neighbors, including those who disagree
with us about the definition of marriage and the public good; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the messengers to the
Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Columbus, Ohio, June 16–17, 2015,
prayerfully call on the Supreme Court of the United States to uphold
the right of the citizens to define marriage as exclusively the union of
one man and one woman; and be it further
RESOLVED, That
Southern Baptists recognize that no governing institution has the
authority to negate or usurp God's definition of marriage; and be it
further
RESOLVED, No matter how the Supreme Court rules,
the Southern Baptist Convention reaffirms its unwavering commitment to
its doctrinal and public beliefs concerning marriage; and be it further
RESOLVED,
That the religious liberty of individual citizens or institutions
should not be infringed as a result of believing or living according to
the biblical definition of marriage; and be it further
RESOLVED,
That the Southern Baptist Convention calls on Southern Baptists and all
Christians to stand firm on the Bible's witness on the purposes of
marriage, among which are to unite man and woman as one flesh and to
secure the basis for the flourishing of human civilization; and be it
finally
RESOLVED, That Southern Baptists love our neighbors
and extend respect in Christ's name to all people, including those who
may disagree with us about the definition of marriage and the public
good.

The Sifted Generation is a resource to help believers understand the seriousness of what is confronting us. It also gives loving counsel on how to face the coming onslaught and reveals why our generation is witnessing the alarming rise of darkness. The world is choosing its sides and the stage is being set for soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ!